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Tech Notes > Gadgets
Wearable high-tech professional gear
New technology you can wear or use every day is gaining
popularity among medical professionals.
popularity among medical professionals.
By David geer
High-tech clothes may not make the doctor, but they make your workday. From
coats and vests with seamless pockets for every device to wearable wireless
communication badges and computer access cards, designers have fashioned these
high-tech garments and accessories to put your schedule and bedside manner into
high gear:
Scott eVest coats and vests
As a medical researcher, Jeffrey D. Rothstein MD, PhD, director of the Brain
Science Institute Neurotranslation Program at Johns Hopkins University, travels
frequently on business. To make flights and boarding fast and productive, he
never leaves the ground without his vests, coats, and jackets from Scott eVest
(SeV).
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With the help of SeV clothing, Rothstein speeds through airport security with
minimal security checks. “You are stopped less often for searches because everything is in your coat
instead of your bag,” Rothstein says. With most of your gadgets in your coat, your carry on luggage
is free for other items. It’s like having no carry-on limit.
Once on the plane, you don’t have to get up and move around to gain access to your devices in-flight. “Ever since 9/11, you don’t want to get up from your seat because people look at you [like you might be up
to something],” says Rothstein.
Rothstein wears versions of the SeV Travel Vest, the Scott Jordan Signature
System (Quantum and Fleece Jackets), and the Essential Jacket.
The lightweight Travel Vest has 22 hidden interior pockets. At airports, you can
take the vest off quickly, send it through the X-Ray machine with all your
hardware, and you’re finished.
The Signature System includes an outer Quantum jacket and separate inner fleece
jacket. The disconnected two-layer system offers 50 pockets. The SeV Jacket
(the Essential Jacket) comes with zip-off sleeves, Teflon treating, and is
machine washable.
Scott eVest is working on a new lab coat for doctors (in development). The
traditional lab coat design hasn’t changed for centuries, notes Scott Jordan, chief executive officer of Scott
eVest, yet doctors carry more gadgets, documentation and medical tools than
ever.
“Book companies are changing the size of medical books to suit the lab coat
pockets rather than the lab coat companies changing the size of the pockets to
suit the books,” says Jordan. Scott eVest hopes to change that trend in coming years.
Oakley Polos and O Rokr Eyewear
Oakley offers fashionable polo shirts that endure a doctor’s strenuous, physical workday. “I had problems with shirts made by other brands,” says Aaron Bates, DC. “They would come un-tucked.” Bates works hands-on with patients, moving around a lot, bending down. But,
despite all the action, the “Pitch,” “Launch,” and “Chart” model polos from Oakley stay tucked in.
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“These polos work for doctors because of their form, function, and aesthetics.
They are suitable for the medical dress codes many doctors follow
(dressy/casual dressy),” says Alyssa Gross, an Oakley spokesperson.
Add optimal use of sight and sound to those dressy polos with the Oakley O Rokr
and O Rokr Pro sunglasses (available in prescription lenses with High
Definition Optics that filter all UV rays). O Rokr connects to any
Bluetooth-enabled device such as a smart phone, recording device, or MP3
player. Physicians use them to manage cell calls and play back meeting notes.
The hands-free headset sunglasses use A2DP and AVRCP technology, making them
compatible with iPods, MP3 players, and the latest smart phones. The glasses’ / headset’s Mylar speakers pivot in and out. These are not those uncomfortable ear buds
but movable speakers that ride next to your ears.
The glasses offer three buttons in the stem to control music and phone calls
(they come with a built-in microphone). The O Rokr supports Bluetooth signals
up to 33 feet away. An integrated rechargeable Li-Ion battery powers the
glasses, which also come with a USB port for connecting to other devices. The
high-tech sunglasses provide more than 100 hours of stand-by time and five
hours of talk/listening time.
Vocera Communications Badge
Oncologists and oncological support at the chemo center at the Palo Alto Medical
Foundation (PAMF) wear the Vocera B2000 Wi-Fi communications badge for quiet,
two-way communication, according to Paula Reed, RN, director of the cancer
center. “The badge weighs less than two ounces worn on the shirt pocket or lanyard,” says Reed. It provides instant two-way voice conversation without a phone
number, Reed adds.
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Nurses who remain with their patients in the Infusion (Chemo) Center communicate
quickly and quietly with the nurse responsible for mixing that patient’s chemotherapy treatment. “The oncological nurse who mixes the chemo treatments is alerted to the patient’s arrival (and the timing of the mixes is important),” says Cynthia Greaves, public affairs specialist, PAMF.
“The badges positively affect cancer patients because they are quiet and
non-disruptive. Patients coming in for chemotherapy already live with the
stress of battling cancer. We’ve designed the Infusion (Chemo) Center to be nurturing, calm, and accessible.
The Vocera cuts down on ringing phones, staff dashing around to find one
another, and generally encourages a softer yet faster form of communication,” says Greaves.
Cancer care staff use 20 Vocera badges in all. The badges remind staff of the
Star-Trek body-worn COM link badges. Staff are known to repeat the famous “Beam me up, Scotty” command to provide comic relief on demanding days, according to Reed.
Xyloc MD proximity cards
Since 2003, physicians have been using the Xyloc MD proximity cards, which they
wear on the lapels of their medical coats, according to Greaves.
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Patient/doctor visits are personal experiences. Computers and other technology
should always support rather than detract from this experience. “The Xyloc card enables doctors to focus on the patient, not the technical
process,” says Greaves. “The Palo Alto Medical Foundation uses nearly 600 units of the Xyloc MD proximity
card. We plan to expand its use significantly in the coming year.” The cards are an integral part of the PAMF electronic health records system.
Digital Voice Recorder Pen
Brickhouse Security sells the Digital Voice Recorder Pen, a tool that enables
physicians to write while recording conversation, according to Todd Morris,
chief executive officer, Brickhouse Security.
The recorder pen is popular with doctors, who use it to take handwritten notes
and unobtrusive audio recordings
simultaneously at meetings and appointments, according to Morris. Physicians
then transfer the audio files to their computers for archiving and pass them on
by email for transcribing.
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The pen uses a built-in condenser microphone, which records to a digital file.
The physician transfers the file to a computer or other device using the USB
stick built into the device. “The pens are good for 16 hours or more of record time. The pen has so much extra
storage space, doctors use it as a thumb drive,” says Morris.
The pen makes a great replacement for microcassette recorders. “There is usually a hissing sound in the background from the cassette wheels
moving. The physician wants to use to a digital recorder that is quieter
because it doesn’t have any moving parts,” says Morris.
Doctors, who have been hit hard by lawsuits, want to be able to demonstrate
through an audio recording what they said when they were with their patients,
for liability’s sake. “One of our customers, a lawyer, bought a hundred of these pens to give out to
his physician clients for that very reason,” says Morris.
Physicians also use the pens to record meetings with pharmaceutical sales
representatives and phone calls with other parties to provide protection
against liability.
High Tech = Less Stress
Any of the above solutions can make your hectic workday run more smoothly when
they meet your needs and your constituents’. In the office, the exam room or on the road, there’s something you can wear comfortably and fashionably that will make your
schedule and your duties seem effortless. And new products are being developed
every day to improve on what’s already available. What could be better than that?
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David Geer is a technology journalist who lives in Ashtabula, Ohio. He can be reached at david@geercom.com.
